How do I display Drupal errors?

Use Administration > Configuration > Development > Logging and errors, then choose the error level. Drupal's docs list hide, some, all, and verbose. Keep production on hide unless you are debugging on a private/staging copy.

Where are Drupal recent log messages?

If the Database Logging module is enabled, administrators can open /admin/reports/dblog. Drupal documents this as the Recent log messages page, with filters for type and severity.

Should I leave verbose Drupal errors enabled?

No. Verbose errors and PHP display_errors are development tools. Use them on local or staging, collect the stack trace, then turn production back to hidden error messages.

Can SimpleReview fix a Drupal error automatically?

SimpleReview can prepare a site-ready fix when the log points to a bounded theme, config, or custom module change. Hire a Drupal developer when the failure involves schema updates, migrations, security, unknown production state, or incident ownership.

Drupal / Errors & Logs May 8, 2026 11 min read

Drupal Errors: Display Errors, Read Logs, and Find the Real Failure

If your Drupal site says "The website encountered an unexpected error. Try again later.", do not start by editing random Twig files. Start by collecting the exact failure: the error-display setting, the Recent log messages row, the Status report, and the route or screen that triggered it. We reproduced the workflow in Drupal 11.3.8 on Docker and captured the screens below.

mysite.com/simplereview-error-lab

Manage ReportsConfigurationadmin

Reports

Configuration

Extend

Drupal error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Try again later.

Recent log messages

TypeMessage

phpRuntimeException in ErrorLabController

customControlled runtime exception logged

SimpleReview PRO

Drupal logs detected

Evidence

Generic error page, dblog row, and Status report captured before changes.

Boundary

Custom module controller throws RuntimeException. No schema or migration touched.

Site fix

Patch the controller, keep production error display hidden, verify on staging.

Capture the Drupal error -> read Recent log messages -> prepare a bounded site-ready fix

Search intent signal: people looking for Drupal error help are usually not asking for a generic "clear cache" answer. They need to know where to display the error safely, where Drupal stores recent log messages, and when the log is enough to prepare a bounded site fix.

What we actually tested

Installed Drupal 11.3.8 from the official drupal:11-apache Docker image with PostgreSQL 16 and Drush 13.7.2.
Enabled Drupal core Database Logging (dblog).
Created a tiny local custom module route at /simplereview-error-lab that throws a controlled RuntimeException.
Captured the generic public error page, Logging and errors settings, Recent log messages, and Status report.

Drupal generic unexpected error page captured from a controlled Drupal 11 Docker route. — The public screen is intentionally vague. This is why "display errors" is a diagnostic step, not the fix.

The safe debugging order

Use this order when Drupal shows a generic error page or a blank screen. It keeps production safe and turns "Drupal is broken" into a concrete fix brief.

Do not enable verbose errors publicly first. If the site is live, reproduce on local or staging. Verbose output can expose paths, class names, query details, and module structure.
Check Status report. It tells you whether the install is already unhealthy: cron, trusted host, filesystem, PHP extensions, update status, or database warnings.
Open Recent log messages. If dblog is enabled, use /admin/reports/dblog. Filter by severity and type. If the site is too broken for the UI, use Drush watchdog commands.
Only then change error display. Drupal documents hide, some, all, and verbose. Switch temporarily, collect the trace, then switch back.
Map the trace to the boundary. Theme/Twig, config, custom module, contributed module, environment, or database migration all have different risk.

Drupal 11.3.8 Status report screen showing errors, warnings, checked items, Drupal version, web server, and last cron run. — Real Drupal 11.3.8 Status report from the Docker lab. If this screen is already red, treat the task as diagnosis before code editing.

How to display Drupal errors without leaking production details

Drupal's official verbose logging page says the browser UI is under /admin/config/development/logging. The same setting can be changed with Drush:

vendor/bin/drush config:set system.logging error_level verbose -y
vendor/bin/drush cr

For local development, Drupal's docs also mention PHP-level display settings such as error_reporting(E_ALL) and ini_set('display_errors', TRUE). Keep that distinction clear:

Setting	Use it for	Do not use it for
`hide`	Production default	Debugging a hidden exception without logs
`some` / `all`	Staging reproduction where users cannot see output	Public traffic
`verbose`	Short local/staging trace capture	Long-lived live-site setting
PHP `display_errors`	Local PHP runtime diagnosis	Shared production hosting

Drupal 11 Logging and errors configuration screen showing error message display options and database log retention. — Real Logging and errors screen. This lab is set to "None", which is the sane production posture before you inspect logs.

Read Recent log messages before changing code

The Drupal Database Logging docs say dblog records events in the database and exposes them at /admin/reports/dblog. That page is the bridge between the generic public error and the actual failing component.

In our lab, the public page only showed the generic sentence. The log showed a PHP RuntimeException and a custom simplereview_error_lab entry. That is enough to avoid editing unrelated templates or clearing cache repeatedly.

Drupal 11 Recent log messages screen showing a PHP RuntimeException and a custom simplereview_error_lab log entry. — Real Recent log messages screen after triggering the controlled exception. The route is broken, but the cause is now concrete.

When SimpleReview can prepare the fix

SimpleReview is a fit when the evidence points to a bounded change:

a Twig template or theme preprocess function throws the error;
a custom module controller/service has a clear exception;
a configuration value is wrong and the expected state is obvious;
the Status report is healthy enough that this is not an environment incident.

The workflow is: capture the screen, capture the log row, let SimpleReview prepare a site-ready fix, verify on staging, then return production error display to hidden.

When to hire a Drupal developer instead

Bring in a Drupal developer when the log points to migration, schema, database state, security, or infrastructure ownership. Examples:

hook_update_N() half-ran and the database is in an unknown state;
a contributed module update broke entity schema or field storage;
the error only happens under real traffic or cache layers;
the log contains authentication, access, payment, or private-data failures;
you cannot reproduce the issue outside production.

Rule of thumb: SimpleReview is for bounded site fixes. A human developer is for unknown state, high blast radius, and production ownership.

Copy-paste checklist

# 1. On staging/local, enable verbose Drupal error output temporarily.
vendor/bin/drush config:set system.logging error_level verbose -y
vendor/bin/drush cr

# 2. Reproduce the failing URL once.
curl -I https://example.com/the-broken-path

# 3. Read recent watchdog messages.
vendor/bin/drush watchdog:show --count=20

# 4. Put production-style display back.
vendor/bin/drush config:set system.logging error_level hide -y
vendor/bin/drush cr

Turn the Drupal error into a fix brief

Capture the failing screen and log row, then let SimpleReview prepare a bounded site-ready fix for review.

Install SimpleReview

Drupal Errors: Display Errors, Read Logs, and Find the Real Failure

Drupal error

Evidence

Boundary

Site fix

What we actually tested

The safe debugging order

How to display Drupal errors without leaking production details

Read Recent log messages before changing code

When SimpleReview can prepare the fix

When to hire a Drupal developer instead

Copy-paste checklist

Turn the Drupal error into a fix brief

Related

Sources